Mr. Randy Slobe was one of my high school teachers and coaches. I liked and respected him. He gave good lectures, and he knew when to throw in a joke or an aside.
Mr. Slobe told a story about being on a trip to California and finding a John Denver record that he wanted to buy, but he didn't know how he could bring the LP safely home in this luggage. "It had these great songs dedicated to Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon. John sang, 'I'll sing you a song of Spiro Agnew and all the things that he's done...' and the song just stops there. It's hilarious. "The Ballad of Richard Nixon" is even shorter. There's just a few seconds of silence and then he starts playing the next song."
Mr. Slobe lamented that he never found the record for sale in Iowa, and all he could remember about it was that it was green. I remember thinking, I bet I can find that record for him. But I couldn't find it.
I don't have "Find that record for Slobe" on any obsessive to-do lists, but if I'm in a record store and I pass by the D section, I often flip through it looking for a green, John Denver album. I've found the "ballads" on YouTube, but I couldn't get my hands on a physical copy.
Yesterday afternoon I stopped by Goodwill and flipped through a box of records. I found this John Denver LP from 1969.
I laughed out loud when I flipped it over and read the song list. There were the Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon ballads!
I bought it, cleaned it, and gave it a listen. Errr, it's John Denver... I had hopes for his cover of the Beatles' "When I'm Sixty Four" , but he used that ragtime style that was briefly revived in the late 60's. I don't think I'll play this album often. I also don't think I'll call up Mr. Slobe and ask, "Hey, this is Brent Monson, class of '87, do you still want that record you were talking about in '85?" That would be way too weird. But it did feel good to finally itch that scratch after 36 years.
This Flying Burrito Bros is a bit more interesting, and it also came out in 1969. This is an early country rock release, and The Gilded Palace of Sin is also hard to find "out in the wild." It's in pretty nice shape, but I got so excited when I found it, I dropped it on my foot. Then a small strip of the cover came off while I was carefully removing the sticker price tag. You can see the damage on Graham Parson's right knee. The longer I own this LP the less it is worth...
Here's Moby Grape's 1967 psychedelic rock release. This is the uncensored cover with Don Stevenson's finger before it was air-brushed away. Don is expressing my feelings about Goodwill price stickers. The damage is by his hand. I don't know why I thought I could skip the hairdryer method.
How can you not buy a jazz-funk-soul record titled Autophysiopsychic? Just playing this record makes me feel cooler, even if Mr. Lateef knows I'm not.
Pint glasses also pair well with vinyl records. The Bad Weather Brewing Company is located in St. Paul, MN. Bobbers Bar is also located in Minnesota at the Williams Narrows Resort. I like how the waves in their glass mimic the movement of a bobber on the water. Check out the bottoms of those Top O'Mast glasses; they won't tip over very easily. I suppose that would be handy in a busy nightclub, but the Top O'Mast lounge at Fort Myers Beach closed in 2014.
Hellboy lunchbox: totally unnecessary, but will look cool in my classroom on a shelf.
Look out! He's coming for ya!
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